“Asti Cinzano,” by Leonetto Cappiello (1875 – 1942) uses strong color, animation, and a mood of boundless joy to effectively advertise a sparkling wine while also creating popular and collectable works of art. Self-taught, Cappiello, a former caricaturist, revolutionized the art of poster design by adding a contemporary flair to images from the 1800s in the 1000 posters that he created. Today’s lithographers are still influenced by Cappiello’s crisp, playful, “less-is-more” style.

Called the father of the modern poster, Italian artist Leonetto Cappiello (1875 – 1942) made advertising posters modern and collectible. Cappiello, who was self-taught, began as a caricaturist and escalated to the early 20th century’s most acclaimed European artist. Cleverly linking products with vivid, memorable images, he produced 1,000 imaginative posters for beverages, ballet, literature, plays, travel and music halls in four decades. Leading the Art Deco movement, Cappiello’s techniques are still vital to modern advertising.